Gambling On Cruise Ships Age
Onboard many cruise ships there will be a casino, while some ships might also have a video arcade. On just about every cruise ship, you need to be at least 18 years of age to have a flutter on roulette or play the slots. Proof of age should be brought with you. Princess Cruises also require visitors to their casinos to be at least 21. Here’s an example of machines you may find aboard our ships: Wheel of Fortune 3D Slot Machines Bring the prize wheel to life like never before with true 3D reels. 999.9 Gold Wheel Legend™ and Bags of Cash™ by Aruze Feel the excitement as you watch your riches pile up. Sphinx 3D™ by IGT. Cruises - No gambling cruise ships? - I'm trying to plan a cruise as a gift for my parents. Intimacy and ambiance is miles ahead of the larger capacity ships. There are all age groups from.
U.S. law applies in U.S. territorial waters, which extend 12 nautical miles from the shore. As the legal drinking age in the United States is 21, no cruise line permits passengers under 21 to drink while in U.S. territorial waters. In international waters, however, as well as those claimed by countries with lower drinking ages, some cruise lines allow passengers 18 and over to drink.
Parental Permission
Azamara (azamaraclubcruises.com), Celebrity (celebritycruises.com) and Norwegian (ncl.com) allow guests 18 through 20 to drink with parental permission. The Azamara and Celebrity policies apply only to sailings that originate in Europe, Australia or South America, while Norwegian’s policy is in effect whenever the ship is in international waters except on Alaska and Hawaii itineraries. On all three lines, your parent or guardian must be on the ship with you and must appear in person to sign the waiver.
Location-Based Policies
Royal Caribbean (royalcaribbean.com), Costa (costacruise.com), Cunard (cunard.com) and MSC (msccruises.com) base their policies on local laws. Parental permission is not required for 18- through 20-year-olds to drink. Royal Caribbean’s drinking age is 18 for cruises that originate in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe and South America, but the drinking age is always 21 on the company’s private islands. Costa’s drinking age is 18 for all sailings that depart from a non-United States port. Cunard’s drinking age is always 18 except when a ship is in U.S. territorial waters. MSC requires passengers to be 21 to drink on U.S. and Caribbean sailings, but 18 on all others.
Beer and Wine Only
Crystal Cruises (crystalcruises.com) allows passengers 18 through 20 to consume beer and wine when outside U.S. territorial waters. Guests must be 21 to consume hard liquor. Norwegian’s parental consent form extends only to beer and wine. Norwegian passengers under 21 may not consume liquor even with their parents’ permission.
Special Considerations
On some cruise lines, passengers 18 through 20 face alcohol restrictions that older passengers do not. For example, on Celebrity and Azamara, you are not allowed to provide alcoholic beverages to anyone else, even if that person is over 21. Read your cruise line’s policy carefully to ensure that you understand all the rules.
References
About the Author
Lisa Fritscher is a freelance writer specializing in disabled adventure travel. She spent 15 years working for Central Florida theme parks and frequently travels with her disabled father. Fritscher's work can be found in both print and online mediums, including VisualTravelTours.com. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of South Florida.
More Articles
You may think anything goes in those lawless international waters, but truth is, the cruise lines maintain fairly strict policies governing the age at which you can drink booze, gamble and occupy a cabin alone. Typically, the combination key/ID/charge cards each passenger is issued clearly indicate if the holder is under age. The only hope of getting a drink on a cruise ship if you're an underage teen is getting some older sucker to buy it for you when no one's looking. If a cruise line wants to be hard nosed, they can eject transgressors from the ship at the next port of call -- at their own cost. Drinking laws may be much more lenient on shore, for instance in the Caribbean.
Of course it wasn't always this way. Just a decade ago rowdy high school groups were a common sight on big cruise ships, especially during the spring break months. Barely chaperoned mobs of young binge drinkers would practically take over a ship, hogging deck chairs, spilling out of cabins, passing out in hallways, puking on stairs and boldly staggering up to adults in bars asking for drinks (which, if they were cute enough, they usually got!).
Since those wild days, cruise lines have toughened up their policies quite a bit. Unsupervised teen groups are not permitted on board any more. Not to say you won't ever encounter obnoxious adolescents -- with more and more families cruising, there are a lot of teens sailing these days -- but mom and dad are on board to, hopefully, keep their offspring in line. Now, if you happen to be a civilized teen looking to cruise solo with a friend or two, you're basically out of luck.
Age Policies of the Major Lines
Carnival (www.carnival.com)
All passengers must be 21 years old to drink alcohol no matter where the ship is sailing. You must be 18 to gamble in the casino; if you're under age 21, there must be at least one person in the cabin over 25.
Celebrity Cruises (www.celebritycruises.com)
All passengers must be 21 years old to drink alcohol, with the exception of Europe, South America and Australia cruises if parents cruising with their children sign a waiver allowing their 18 to 20 year olds consume alcohol. Passengers must be 18 to gamble in the casino (and 21 on Alaska cruises). If you're under age 21, there must be at least one person in the cabin over 21, unless minor children are cruising with their parents or guardians and staying in an adjacent cabin.
Costa Cruises (www.costacruises.com)
All passengers must be 21 years old to drink alcohol and 18 to gamble in the casino. All passengers must be 21 years old, or have at least one person in the cabin over age 21. During certain times of the year, like Spring Break, passengers ages 21 to 24 must have one person at least 25 years old in the same cabin.
Crystal Cruises (www.crystalcruises.com)
Legal Gambling Age On Cruise Ships
All passengers must be 18 years old to drink beer and wine, and 21 to drink the hard stuff; however when the ship is docked or anchored in an American port, or within the 3-mile limit, the drinking age is 21 for all alcoholic beverages. To gamble in the casino, passengers must be 21 or older. Those 18 and younger must share a cabin with a parent or guardian 21 or older.
Disney Cruise Line (www.disneycruiseline.com)
All passengers must be 21 years old to drink alcohol and you must be at least 18 to occupy a cabin without an adult.
Gambling On Cruise Ships Agency
Holland America (www.hollandamerica.com)
All passengers must be 21 years old to drink alcohol no matter where the ship is sailing, 18 to gamble in the casino, and if you're under age 21, there must be at least one person in the cabin over 25.
Norwegian Cruise Line (www.ncl.com)
Passengers ages 18 to 20, with the written consent of their parents or guardian, can purchase beer or wine for themselves only when the ship is sailing in international waters (except in Alaska and Hawaii, where you must be 21 years of age to consume or purchase alcohol or any kind). To gamble in the casino, passengers must be 18.For cabins, at least one person must be 21 or older (unless cruising with parents in an adjoining cabin or if you can prove you're a married couple under age 21).
Princess Cruises (www.princesscruises.com)
All passengers must be 21 years old to drink alcohol or gamble in the casino; those 18 and under must share a cabin with someone 21 or older.
Regent Seven Seas (www.rssc.com)
All passengers must be 21 years old to drink alcohol or gamble in the casino; and 18 is the age minimum to occupy a cabin.
Royal Caribbean (www.royalcaribbean.com)
All passengers must be 21 years old to drink alcohol, with the exception of Europe and South America cruises if parents cruising with their children sign a waiver allowing their 18 to 20 year olds consume alcohol. Passengers must be 18 to gamble in the casino (and 21 on Alaska cruises). If you're under age 21, there must be at least one person in the cabin over 21, unless minor children are cruising with their parents or guardians and staying in an adjacent cabin or if underage married couples can show proof of marriage certificate.
Silversea Cruises (www.silverseacruises.com)
All passengers must be 21 years old to drink alcohol on all cruises, and 18 to gamble in the casino or occupy a cabin alone.
Windstar Cruises (www.windstarcruises.com)
All passengers must be 21 years old to drink alcohol; 18 to gamble in the casino; and if you're under age 21, there must be at least one person in the cabin over 25.
As for cabin age minimums, many cruise lines make an exception for parents traveling with children and occupying two adjoining (or nearby) cabin -- even if it's not officially condoned, it's often overlooked.
Talk with fellow Frommer's cruisers on our Cruise Message Boards.